Karen Fawcett has a great weekly blog, Bonjour Paris, with great content that only an American living in Paris can offer. Check it out, and especially today's article on Free and Inexpensive Paris Activities. I was especially interested in her up-to-date recommendations on getting around in Paris. Of course, the Paris Metro is the easiest way to get to most places in the city!
If you're in Paris for four days or more, the best value is a Navigo Carte (the one-week pass that used to be called the Carte Orange). The price is just 18.85€ per week, and it buys you unlimited travel in zones 1-2 on the Métro, bus, and RER. Some tips for buying your Navigo Carte.
(1) Bring some photos of each family member with you (3 cm tall x 2.5 cm wide). Just take some head shots with your digital camera and, if you're handy with Photoshop or a similar program, you can actually put multiple copies of the photos of each family member onto a single 4x6 print. Buy one print (less than 20¢), cut out the photos, place them in a baggy, and bring with you to Paris.
While you don't absolutely have to get the photos done ahead of time, it's a lot easier, cheaper, and less confusing than using the coin operated photo machines at many Métro stations.
(2) When you get to Paris, go to the ticket window of any Métro station with your photos. The attendant will sell you plastic Navigo Cartes (one for each passenger) for 5€ and attach the photos. At the same time, you can purchase a weekly pass (you'll need a new one each week). Karen advises you to hold onto the receipt, as well as the small ticket which can be used if your Navigo Carte becomes demagnetized.
(3) Swipe the Navigo Carte at the turnstile at the Metro station - or on a bus - and you're good to go!
(4) When you leave Paris, save your Navigo Carte for your next visit (so you don't have to go through the photo routine all over again).
(5) The one-week pass is good for a week beginning on Monday, ending on Sunday.
For shorter visits to Paris, or if your stay straddles the Monday-Sunday week, you can purchase a one-day Mobilis Pass - 6.30€ for unlimited metro and bus rides on a single day. Tickets for a single trip are 1.70€ each. Do the math to figure out the best deal!
One final tip from Karen — the #69 bus. Get on the bus at the Eiffel Tower and get a cheap driving tour of the city, past Les Invalides (where Napoleon is buried), the Musée d'Orsay, the Pyramid in front of the Louvre, the Tuileries (the royal gardens stretching from the Louvre to the Place de la Concorde), Notre Dame cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle, le Marais, the Opera Bastille, and finally the Père-Lachaise Cemetery.
Paris Metro (search here on Google)
copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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